A debate on the theory of contradictory class locations and middle classes: reproduction strategies of small traders in Turkey
Turkish Studies, cilt.24, sa.2, ss.330-356, 2023 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 24 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2023
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/14683849.2022.2118052
- Dergi Adı: Turkish Studies
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.330-356
- Anahtar Kelimeler: class theory, contradictory class locations, market, Small traders, state
- Maltepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The global economic crisis and the associated economic downturn in Turkey revitalized debates about the theory and politics of the middle classes. The significance of the middle classes has historically been shaped by not only the ‘declining’ boundaries of their objective class position but also their ‘rising’ importance in the reproduction of capital accumulation and hegemonic relations. Inspired by the notion of ‘contradictory class locations’ offered by Erik Olin Wright to make sense of the growing middle class of nonmanual labor in contemporary capitalist societies, and with a particular focus on Turkey’s hardware sector and small traders in the Karaköy region, this article addresses the specific historical conditions of these small traders' class formation and analyzes their experiences with changing market conditions, their approaches to the functioning of market mechanisms, and the role of the state, as well as forms of their political representation.